The University of Minnesota Duluth will open up the second half of its 2014-15 National Collegiate Hockey Conference schedule and make its first home appearances of the New Year this Friday and Saturday (Jan. 16-17) when the Bulldogs welcome Western Michigan University to AMSOIL Arena (6,756). The puck drops at 7:07 p.m. both nights.

Complete Release (pdf)

Scott Sandelin's Weekly Presser

THE RECORDS: UMD is 13-7-0 overall and 8-4-0-0 in the NCHC (second place) while Western Michigan, which has lost just once in its last eight outings (6-1-1), owns an even 9-9-2 record in all games to go with a 2-6-2-2 league mark (seventh place).

HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and Western Michigan stacked up in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls as well as the PairWise ratings:

    USCHO.com    USA Today    PairWise
UMD    No. 5    No. 5    No. 2
WMU    RV    NR    No. 26
    
ON THE AIR: The two UMD-Western Michigan clashes will be carried on 94X (94.1/104.3 FM) with Bruce Ciskie on the call. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing; KQ 106.7 FM in Ely/Virginia; Red Zone Sports Radio 1350 AM in Pine City; and KKIN-AM 930 in Atkin as part of the Bulldog Radio Network and at: 94xrocks.com.

Both ends of this weekend's series will be aired locally -- by My9 (KBJR DT 6.2/KRII DT 11.9) on Friday and KBJR-TV on Saturday. Tom Hansen, Zach Schneider (Friday) and former UMD All-American forward Bill Watson (Saturday) will serve as the on-air talent. The two telecasts are available on-line at: nchc.tv/umd.

THE COACH: The runnerup for the 2010-11 Spencer Penrose Award (American Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coach of the Year) and recipient of that honor in 2003-04, Scott Sandelin is in his 15th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 260-252-67 overall record -- including a 138-92-30 mark (for a .588 winning percentage) since the 2008-09 opener. Besides capturing the school's first NCAA championship four years ago, his Bulldogs have won 22 or more games in four of the last six seasons while advancing to four NCAA tournaments (2004, 2009, 2011 and 2012), two Frozen Fours (2004 and 2011) and seven of 11 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five playoff events between 2002-13. He has also helped produce a pair of Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners (Jack Connolly in 2011-12 and Junior Lessard in 2003-04), six NCAA All-Americans and 17 different All-WCHA selections. In addition, Sandelin has seen 16 of his UMD pupils go on to do time in the National Hockey League and one take part in the Winter Olympic Games (Justin Faulk for Team USA in last winter). During the course of the 2011-12 season, the Bulldogs set a team record by going unbeaten in 17 straight games and were ranked first in both major weekly polls (USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine for a program-best nine consecutive weeks. In March 2009, UMD became the first play-in game participant to ever claim the Final Five title and, later that spring, strung together a school-record six-game postseason winning streak before it fell to Miami University 2-1 in the NCAA West Regional final. Nine years ago, Sandelin, 50, turned UMD into a NCAA Frozen Four participant for the first time in nearly a generation, marshaling his troops to their most victories (they were 28-13-4 overall) and highest WCHA finish (second place on a 19-7-2 mark) since 1992-93. For his efforts, the Hibbing, Minn., native was chosen the WCHA Coach of the Year as well as the national coach of the year by both insidecollegehockey.com and uscho.com. In 2002-03, Sandelin's charges went 22-15-5 overall and captured fifth place in the WCHA with a 14-10-4 mark while experiencing the greatest one-season turnaround of any league member that winter. One year earlier, he guided UMD to a 13-24-1 record in all games -- nearly doubling the number of victories from the previous season (7-28-4). Sandelin officially signed on with the Bulldogs on March 31, 2000 following six years of assistant coaching deployment at North Dakota (which won two NCAA titles during his tenure). Prior to that, Sandelin spent the 1993-94 season head coaching the Junior Elite Hockey League's Fargo-Moorhead Junior Kings after working in that same capacity (and doubling as general manager) the previous winter with the Fargo-Moorhead Express of the American Hockey Association. He capped off his four-year playing career at North Dakota in 1985-86 by being named one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. An All-American second team selection and All-WCHA first team pick as a senior, Sandelin went on to play professionally for seven years, which included National Hockey League stints with the Montreal Canadiens (1986-88), Philadelphia Flyers (1990-91) and Minnesota North Stars (1991-92). Sandelin, one of just two active NCHC coaches to do time in the NHL (Denver's Jim Montgomery is the other), was the Montreal Canadiens' second-round pick in the 1982 NHL draft (40th choice overall). He served as Team USA's head coach at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships, directing that club to a fourth-place finish, and was an assistant coach for the U.S. entry at that same event in 2011-12.

THE RIVALRY: UMD and Western Michigan have butted heads on only 10 occasions previously, including six times one year ago. They last met in first round of the NCHC playoffs in Duluth where the visiting Broncos ousted UMD in two straight games at AMSOIL Arena. This came six weeks after the Bulldogs had swept Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich. (3-1 and 5-2 on Jan. 31-Feb. 1). The two clubs split their first-ever NCHC series in December of last year on the Bulldogs' home ice. UMD leads the all-time series 7-3-0, but is just 3-3-0 against the Broncos in Duluth.

LAST WEEKEND: UMD traded wins with No. 1 North Dakota, skating away with a 4-1 triumph on Friday before falling 5-2 the following evening in Grand Forks, N.D. In the opener, the Bulldogs struck for three unanswered third-period goals in the final nine minutes of play to break a 1-1 deadlock. UMD got single points from 10 different skaters, including sophomore left winger Kyle Osterberg, junior center Tony Cameranesi (the eventual game winner), sophomore defenseman Carson Soucy and sophomore left winger Alex Iafallo (an empty netter), who accounted for the four goals.
The Bulldogs outshot North Dakota 37-24 and gave North Dakota just one power play opportunity after taking just two minor penalties the entire night. On Saturday, UMD had its sights set on posting its first series sweep over North Dakota in nearly two decades, but a three-goal outburst in a span of 6:36 during the middle of the second period put squelched those plans. Sophomore defenseman Willie Raskbob and senior right winger Justin Crandall each scored for the Bulldogs, who put 43 shots on net (17 in the third period alone) while allowing 33 in the setback.

Western Michigan upended the University of Notre Dame 4-2 on Friday night in Kalamazoo Friday then complete the non-conference home-and-home set sweep 24 hours later by rallying for a 4-3 triumph. Junior left winger Colton Hargrove led all Bronco scorers over the weekend with three points and was a +2.

NCHC FORECAST: In the 2014-15 NCHC Preseason Media Poll, UMD was projected for a fifth-place finish in the second-year circuit while North Dakota received top billing among the conference's eight schools with 181 points and 12 first-place votes. North Dakota was followed by Miami (167 pts.; nine first-place votes), defending NCHC regular season champion St. Cloud State (151 pts. and the remaining four first-place votes), Denver (117 pts.), UMD (112 pts.), the University of Nebraska-Omaha (73 pts.), Western Michigan University (67 pts.), and Colorado College (32 pts.).

AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN: For the second straight season, Adam Krause has been entrusted with the Bulldogs' captaincy duties (he shared that role with the since-graduated Joe Basaraba in 2013-14) while fellow senior right winger Justin Crandall and junior defenseman Andy Welinski are serving as assistant captains.

WELL PLAYED WILLIE: Willie Raskob was chosen the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (the first-ever weekly honor for the UMD sophomore) after figuring in three of his team's six goals last weekend at top-ranked North Dakota. The Hastings, Minn., native used a nifty move to beat a North Dakota defenseman and then dished out the primary assist on the game-winning goal Friday. In the rematch, Raskob opened the scoring with a goal at 7:10 of the first period and later assisted on Justin Crandall's power play tally. He also was part of a UMD penalty kill unit that stymied North Dakota on all four of its power play chances over the weekend.

WELCOME BACK: The Bulldogs haven't taken a face off at AMSOIL Arena since Dec. 6 when they ambushed Colorado College for a second consecutive night. UMD, which is 5-3-0 in Duluth this season, will come into Friday night armed with a four-game home winning streak with its last loss to a visiting foe coming on Halloween Night to Miami (3-2). During that four-game run, the Bulldog have outscored the opposition 16-8.

SOME TOUGH SLEDDING: Only two (Colorado College on Dec. 5-6) of UMD's 20 games thus far have been against unranked opponents. Three of those 18 outings were with then-No. 1 Minnesota, which the Bulldogs swept (3-0 and 2-1) in a home-and-home series on Nov. 14-15 after falling 4-3 at the season-opening Ice Breaker Tournament in South Bend, Ind. Last weekend's split at North Dakota put UMD at 3-2-0 this season against the No. 1-ranked teams. The Bulldogs' schedule to date is the toughest in the nation.

POWER SHORTAGE: UMD has not given up a power play in the last four games, going a perfect 11-for-11 on the penalty kill.

BRONCO BUSTER: Ten of Justin Crandall's 66 career points have come in his eight lifetime games against Western Michigan. Those 10 points are tops among all active Bulldogs.

NOT FIT TO BE TIED: Of the 59 NCAA I-hockey playing schools only five -- UMD, Brown University, the University of Massachusetts, Miami and the University of Michigan -- have yet to play to a tie this winter.

SAVING THEIR BEST FOR LAST: UMD's 29 third-period goals are the most of any NCHC club and rank fifth nationally. The Bulldog have given up only 13 goals during that same 20-minute stretch, the second lowest yield in the league (Western Michigan tops the charts with 11).

ON A ROLL: The Bulldogs will enter the weekend having won 10 of their last 13 games. Over that stretch, which began with a 4-3 triumph over visiting Miami on Oct. 31, UMD has outscored the opposition 41-28 while posting three series sweeps.

STILL THE TOP 'DOG: Sophomore center Dominic Toninato continues to reside atop the UMD scoring charts with a career-high 19 points. He's also potted 13 goals -- a figure which is bettered by only seven skaters in the country and nobody in the NCHC (Omaha's Austin Ortega has also scored 13 times). Among his league comrades, the Duluth East High School alumnus is also first in both even-strength goals (eight) and road goals (eight) while he and teammate Alex Iafallo are tied for fifth in plus-minus (+11). Toninato, who has struck for a goal in a league-high 11 different games this season and is one of 15 players in the country with two shorthanded goals to his credit, holds the distinction of being the only two-time recipient of the NCHC Offensive Player of the Week Award in 2014-15.

SHOOTOUT STATS: The Bulldogs have won both of their lifetime NCHC shootouts, defeating visiting Denver 2-1 in four rounds on Jan. 18, 2014 and Colorado College 1-0 in three rounds on Feb. 8, 2014 at AMSOIL Arena. Sophomore left winger Alex Iafallo is the lone current Bulldog to score in a league shootout and that came at the expense of Denver. The following are NCHC shootout statistics for current Bulldogs (no 2014-15 UMD goaltender has ever been taken part in a shootout):
 

Player	Att.	Made	Missed	Pct.
Alex Iafallo	2	1	1	.500
Cal Decowski	1	0	1	.000
Kyle Osterberg	1	0	1	.000
Andy Welinski	1	0	1	.000

 
   




THE PUCK STOPS HERE: Goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo, the Hockey Commissioners' Association Rookie of the Month for November, is expected to make his 18th consecutive start this Friday evening against Western Michigan. In his last 13 appearances, Kaskisuo has compiled a 10-3-0 record, a 2.06 goals against average and one shutout (a 3-0 gem at Minnesota on Nov. 14 -- UMD's first blanking of the Gophers in Minneapolis since Feb. 23, 1973). Among the nation's first-year netminders, Kaskisuo reigns as the leader in victories (12), is second in winning percentage (.706 off a 12-5-0 record) and sixth in both goals against average (2.22) and saves percentage (.917). The Vantaa, Finland, native and former Minnesota Wilderness (North American Hockey League) puckstopper is the sixth European to enlist his services with the Bulldogs and first non-North American to play for 15th-year head coach Scott Sandelin. The five previous Europeans include goalie Nicklas Axelsson (Sweden, 1993-95), winger Pasi Korhonen (Finland; 1999-2000), winger Sergei Petrov (Russia, 1993-97), defenseman Roman Sindelar (Czechoslovakia; 1984-86) and center Max Wikman (Sweden, 1995-97).


PENALTIES ARE PLUMMETING: Through the opening 10 games of the season, UMD held the dubious distinction of being the most penalized team in the country, but since then the Bulldogs have cut their infraction time in half and now rank eighth nationally in that category: eighth nationally in that category:

                    Penalties    Minutes    Avg.
First 10 Games    71    205    20.5
Last 10 Games    40    99    9.9

FOUR'S A CHARM: Going back to a 5-4 home loss to Minnesota on Oct. 15, 2011, the Bulldogs are unbeaten in 48 of the 49 games that they've struck for more than three goals (43-1-5). The sole setback during that stretch was inflicted by Minnesota State University-Mankato earlier this season (5-4 in overtime on Oct. 17 in Duluth).

BULLDOG BITS: UMD possesses the NCHC's second- highest scoring sophomore group (it ranks ninth nationally) as its eight, second-year players have combined for 65 points on 28 goals and 37 assists. Only Omaha, with 74 points, has more. The Bulldogs' junior class, meanwhile, has also been credited with the nation's eighth-most points (64).

• Both junior center Tony Cameranesi, the owner of a career-high seven-game scoring streak, and junior defenseman Andy Welinski have taken shifts in all 94 games since joining the UMD program two years ago.

• This weekend's series will feature the latest two NCHC Rookies of the Month in UMD goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo (November) and Western Michigan winger Aidan Muir (December) as well as the NCHC's most penalized teams in the Bulldogs (15.2 minutes per game) and the Broncos (14.8 mpg).

• The five shorthanded goals UMD has generated this year are second only to North Dakota's eight among NCAA schools and are one more than its entire 2013-14 output. The school single-season record for shorties is 12 set by the 1992-93 Bulldogs, who were captained by current UMD assistant coach Derek Plante (who scored four times that year while his team was a man down). UMD has now gone 12 games (since Nov. 1 vs. Miami at AMSOIL Arena) without scoring while a man down.

• Freshman right winger Karson Kuhlman has collected at least one point in eight of the past 10 outings. Among NCHC rookies, he is tied for fifth in goals (five), for seventh in points (12 points), for 11th in plus-minus rating (+3) and has put the third most shots on goal (43). The Esko, Minn., product is also the only league newcomer with a shorthanded goal to his 2014-15 credit. Kuhlman,  Austin Farley and Cal Decowski all share the team lead in home scoring this season with seven points (four of Kuhlman's five goals this season have been registered at AMSOIL Arena).

• UMD is 8-1-0 this season when junior center Cal Decowski has marked in the points column and 7-1-0 when senior right winger Justin Crandall has done so.

• Junior Andy Welinski remains the NCHC's top goal-scoring defenseman (he shares that honor with Denver's Joey LaLeggia). He also owns the fifth-best plus-minus rating (+9) of any league blueliner and is one of only three with a shorthanded goal. Collectively, UMD's eight-member back end corps has combined for 12 goals this year -- after mustering just five (all of which were produced by Welinski) during the entire 2013-14 season -- and 40 points.

• The Bulldogs are the lone NCHC club with two overtime victories this season, but have managed to win just three of their last 15 games that have gone beyond regulation, going 3-4-8. Those three three victories came at the expense of Colorado College on Dec. 6, 2014 (3-2), St. Cloud State on Nov. 7, 2014 (3-2), Minnesota State University-Mankato (5-4 in the opening round of the North Star College Cup in St. Paul on Jan. 24, 2014). Only three current Bulldogs -- sophomore left wingers Alex Iafallo and Kyle Osterberg and junior center Cal Decowski -- have an overtime goal to their collegiate credit (each has one).
•Sophomore Carson Soucy, the only UMD skater ever to be drafted by the Minnesota Wild (fifth round in 2013), snapped a 10-game pointless drought with a goal in last Friday's 4-1 victory at North Dakota.

• The Bulldogs have outshot their foes in 17 of the 20 games to date -- including the last 11 in a row. They lead the NCHC and are third nationally in shots per night (34.60) and ninth and third, respectively, in shots allowed (26.60 spg). That 8.00 shot differential is bettered by only four other teams in the country at the moment.

• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, UMD is an impressive 19-10-1 away from Duluth. The Bulldogs have compiled an 8-3-0 record in someone else's building this winter and have outscored the opposition 37-26 in the process.

• UMD has rallied from a second- intermission deficit to win twice in 2014-15 (3-2 at Omaha on Nov. 21 and 3-2 in overtime on Dec. 6 vs. Colorado College in Duluth). Coming into this year, the Bulldogs hadn't accomplished that feat since Nov. 10, 2010 when they erased a 2-1 Michigan Tech advantage by scoring four goals in the final 20 minutes to upend the Huskies 5-3 at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. UMD was 0-43-3 in that situation prior to the Nov. 21 matchup with Omaha.

UP NEXT: The Bulldogs will take on former WCHA rival Bemidji State University in the opening round of the second North Star College Cup on Jan. 23 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota and Minnesota State will meet in the other semifinal that night..